Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a conversation with Carola Weil on the Illumination Podcast. To hear the full discussion, listen to the episode here.
Higher education is standing at a crossroads. Declining enrollments, tightening budgets, and shifting learner demographics are forcing colleges and universities to think differently about their role in preparing students—not only for degrees, but for lifelong success in an economy where skills are the new currency.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the growing partnerships between continuing education divisions and corporate employers. As Dr. Carola Weil, Dean of Continuing Studies at McGill University and Co-Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s National Workforce Strategy Policy Committee, recently explained, the demand for agile, just-in-time learning has never been greater. And institutions that step up to meet it will redefine their value in the decades ahead.
The Productivity Imperative
Canada, like much of North America, faces a stubborn productivity challenge. Businesses—especially small and medium-sized enterprises—are struggling to keep pace with technological disruption. Employers know their people need to reskill and upskill quickly, but many lack the resources to design and deliver high-quality training at scale.
This is where universities come in. Continuing education divisions are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between academic rigor and real-world application. By co-designing curriculum with industry leaders, institutions can deliver programs that are both academically sound and immediately relevant. McGill’s applied cybersecurity and cloud security programs, for instance, were built in consultation with leading employers and professional associations, ensuring learners can take what they learn in class and apply it directly to their work.
Why Corporate Partnerships Matter More Than Ever
For universities, corporate partnerships aren’t just an opportunity—they’re a necessity. Traditional enrollment markets are shrinking, and research funding is increasingly competitive. Continuing education offers an important revenue stream that supports institutional sustainability while deepening community and industry impact.
But for employers, the value is just as great. Corporate partners gain access to cutting-edge knowledge, research expertise, and a trusted educational brand. They also benefit from the experiential and work-integrated learning environments that universities excel at providing. Done right, it’s not just about offering courses; it’s about building ecosystems of learning that benefit workers, companies, and society as a whole.
The Challenges We Need to Overcome
Of course, collaboration isn’t without obstacles. Universities and corporations often operate on very different timelines and with different definitions of “quality.” Employers may want programs developed and deployed in weeks, while institutions must navigate governance processes that take months.
Competition is another challenge. Universities aren’t only competing with each other—they’re up against low-cost online providers like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera on one end, and premium executive education programs on the other. This bifurcation of the market forces continuing education units to clarify where they add the most value.
And then there’s culture. As Peter Drucker famously said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Academic and corporate cultures don’t always align, and trust takes time to build. Yet, overcoming these barriers is essential if universities want to remain relevant partners in workforce development.
How Higher Ed Can Lead
So how do institutions seize this opportunity?
- Adopt a learner-to-earner mindset. Education is no longer a one-time event; it’s a lifelong journey. Universities that design programs around career pathways—and communicate the return on investment for learners and employers—will stand out.
- Build agile delivery models. Modular, short-cycle, and stackable credentials allow institutions to respond faster to employer needs without sacrificing academic integrity.
- Invest in partnerships as relationships, not transactions. True collaboration requires co-designing curricula, aligning expectations, and sharing ownership of outcomes.
- Leverage technology to scale. Platforms like Modern Campus Lifelong Learning and Connected Curriculum simplify non-traditional student management, streamline program design, and integrate seamlessly with corporate training needs—helping institutions deliver the Amazon-like experience learners expect.
- Tell the story of impact. Employers don’t just want training; they want proof it works. Institutions that can show measurable outcomes—higher retention, increased productivity, faster time to competency—will win long-term trust.
A Call to Action
We are in a moment of urgency. The future of work demands a future-ready workforce, and universities cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. By embracing corporate partnerships, continuing education divisions can unlock new revenue, expand their relevance, and, most importantly, fulfill higher education’s mission to empower learners for life.
This is not about abandoning tradition—it’s about extending it. The academy has always been a place where knowledge meets application. Today, that application just happens to be faster, more flexible, and more closely tied to the workplace than ever before.
Institutions that embrace this shift will not only help solve the productivity puzzle—they’ll redefine what it means to be a university in the 21st century.
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